2 Human Language • uses symbols • our brain lets us communicate in ways other species can’t • is an open communication system (vs. closed ) Human Language is characterized by displacement • ability to communicate about things not here/now • ex: concepts • ex: abstractions • ex: experiences that happened this morning, last week, 5 years ago… Human Language is characterized by productivity • “distinctly” human ability • to generate unlimited numbers of meanings, ideas • and we can share those ideas!

3 Human Language is characterized by arbitrary meanings • the sounds and meanings are culturally constructed • they are not “natural” in any sense • “rose” could just as well be called “monkey” banane Банан klûey mai‘a saging ndizis phonemes • individual units of sound • make a difference EX: bat /b/ + /a/ + /t/ (3 phonemes) Change a phoneme, change the meaning:

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